To Kill A Mockingbird
By: Harper Lee Background information
Upper class:plantation owners and professionals
Middle: small farm and business owners
Lower:unskilled laborers and African Americans
Southern Social Structure
Great depression caused hard times
Many African Americans participated in Sharecropping
Many started cash crop small farms and also produced enough food to feed the family
Finch family-upper class
Cunninghams-middle class
Ewells "poor white trach"-lower class
Calpurnia and Tom Robinson- African American Class
South Heritage
Used ansestry to separate classes
Atticus and Jack failed family tradition by moving away
Racism in the South
Social issue: Segregation
Law forbid to mix
poll taxes and literacy tests prevented from voting
not helped by jobs and bills passed
many not charged with killing African Americans
KKK was a huge threat
Publication
1960
During Civil Rights Movement
Pulitzer Prize 1961
15 million copies in early years
Reaction to Success
Wrote few short pieces then disappeared
no interviews or books
Point of View
1st person (6 year old girl)
smart child, spends time with adults
Theme
Scout's age and loss of innocence
things are not always what they seem
prejudice
courage and bravery
CharactersScout:protagonist
She is a little girl that doesn't like to act like a lady and would rather wear suspenders than a dress . She likes to rebel so she swears . Scout likes to run around and play like a boy. Scout hates school and tries everything not to have to go. Many of the ladies on the street think she needs to act more like a lady and not run around like her dad lets her. The ladies yell at her and tell her to act like a lady. Scout likes to be adventurous and curious . She is very outgoing and says what she feels.
Miss Caroline:antagonist
Miss Caroline is a young school teacher. She is mean to Scout in class and thinks Scout is a show off. She has a new "Dewey Decimal System" way of teaching. Miss Caroline is a little eoverwhelmed learning about all of her new students at first because she is new in town. Scout tells her dad Miss Caroline is mean. Burris Ewell makes her cry when he calls her names. She is found in the 1st grade classroom. She doesnt't tolerate some students well.
Summary
Scout and Jem are Atticus' children. Their mother died when they were really little. Scout started school and her teacher, Miss Caroline, didn't like her very much because she thinks Scout runs her mouth too much. They met Dill, a boy that visits during the summer, but the second year they hung out Jem and Dill started excluding Scout. Scout started hanging out with Ms. Maudie, a neighbor lady. Later on Ms. Maudie's house burned down, but it was ok because she didn't like her house anyways. She cares about her flowers more. The Radleys are Scout's wierd neighbors. Boo Radley is the guy they think is crazy and keep trying to get him to come out because none of them come out of the house. Atticus is a lawyer and is beginning to defend a black guy accused of rape. Many in the town criticize him for this.Scout doesn't like her cousins or aunts and uncles very much. She does like uncle Jack who she says doesn't know much about children. She also beat up her cousin for making fun of her dad.
Scout
Tree with indian coins
Ms. Maudie's house on fire
Symbols
1. Aunt Alexandra symbolizes society as a whole and their views
2. The mad dog symbolizes secrets
3. The Tree symbolizes childhood innocence
Conflicts
1. Person vs Person (Scout vs Aunt Alexandria)...Aunt wants Scout to be a lady but scout doesn't want to be. She wants to be who she is.
2. Person vs Person (Scout vs Jem)...Jem doesn't want Scout around anymore. He is growing up and becoming more independent.
3. Person vs Society (Atticus vs. Society)... Society thinks Atticus shouldn't be defending Tom Robinson.
4. Person vs Self (Scout vs self)...Scout doesn't know what to do when Jem doesn't want her hanging out with him and Aunt wants her to hang with the ladies.
5. Person vs Person (Tom vs Mayella)...Mayella is lying about Tom raping her to the court
What elements make this a good book?
The character personalities and voice shown in the book really helped the book to come alive. It kept us more interested in the whole book.
What would make this book better?
More action and Boo Radley would make the more fun and interesting.
What is the most important thing the author wants you to know?
The author wants you to know that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. She did this be showing that Boo Radley is really a nice guy and not nearly as scary as they thought.
What does the audience need to know to understand the book?
I think the audience should know more background on the family instead of all of them being introduced at once and not showing up again.
What is your overall recommendation?
I would recommend this book to one of my peers because it kept me interested and wondering what was going to happen next.
By: Harper Lee
Background information
- Upper class:plantation owners and professionals
- Middle: small farm and business owners
- Lower:unskilled laborers and African Americans
Southern Social Structure- Great depression caused hard times
- Many African Americans participated in Sharecropping
- Many started cash crop small farms and also produced enough food to feed the family
- Finch family-upper class
- Cunninghams-middle class
- Ewells "poor white trach"-lower class
- Calpurnia and Tom Robinson- African American Class
South Heritage- Used ansestry to separate classes
- Atticus and Jack failed family tradition by moving away
Racism in the South- Social issue: Segregation
- Law forbid to mix
- poll taxes and literacy tests prevented from voting
- not helped by jobs and bills passed
- many not charged with killing African Americans
- KKK was a huge threat
Publication- 1960
- During Civil Rights Movement
- Pulitzer Prize 1961
- 15 million copies in early years
Reaction to Success- Wrote few short pieces then disappeared
- no interviews or books
Point of View- 1st person (6 year old girl)
- smart child, spends time with adults
Theme- Scout's age and loss of innocence
- things are not always what they seem
- prejudice
- courage and bravery
CharactersScout:protagonist- She is a little girl that doesn't like to act like a lady and would rather wear suspenders than a dress . She likes to rebel so she swears . Scout likes to run around and play like a boy. Scout hates school and tries everything not to have to go. Many of the ladies on the street think she needs to act more like a lady and not run around like her dad lets her. The ladies yell at her and tell her to act like a lady. Scout likes to be adventurous and curious . She is very outgoing and says what she feels.
Miss Caroline:antagonist- Miss Caroline is a young school teacher. She is mean to Scout in class and thinks Scout is a show off. She has a new "Dewey Decimal System" way of teaching. Miss Caroline is a little eoverwhelmed learning about all of her new students at first because she is new in town. Scout tells her dad Miss Caroline is mean. Burris Ewell makes her cry when he calls her names. She is found in the 1st grade classroom. She doesnt't tolerate some students well.
SummarySymbols
1. Aunt Alexandra symbolizes society as a whole and their views
2. The mad dog symbolizes secrets
3. The Tree symbolizes childhood innocence
Conflicts
1. Person vs Person (Scout vs Aunt Alexandria)...Aunt wants Scout to be a lady but scout doesn't want to be. She wants to be who she is.
2. Person vs Person (Scout vs Jem)...Jem doesn't want Scout around anymore. He is growing up and becoming more independent.
3. Person vs Society (Atticus vs. Society)... Society thinks Atticus shouldn't be defending Tom Robinson.
4. Person vs Self (Scout vs self)...Scout doesn't know what to do when Jem doesn't want her hanging out with him and Aunt wants her to hang with the ladies.
5. Person vs Person (Tom vs Mayella)...Mayella is lying about Tom raping her to the court
What elements make this a good book?
The character personalities and voice shown in the book really helped the book to come alive. It kept us more interested in the whole book.
What would make this book better?
More action and Boo Radley would make the more fun and interesting.
What is the most important thing the author wants you to know?
The author wants you to know that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. She did this be showing that Boo Radley is really a nice guy and not nearly as scary as they thought.
What does the audience need to know to understand the book?
I think the audience should know more background on the family instead of all of them being introduced at once and not showing up again.
What is your overall recommendation?
I would recommend this book to one of my peers because it kept me interested and wondering what was going to happen next.